PASTOR SPOKE OUT AGAINST PROPOSED BAYONNE MOSQUE
January 23,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Bayonne, NJ according to WABC news a Controversy over building a mosque in New Jersey appears to be linked to vandalism.
A pastor opposing the plan was the target of a graffiti attack at his home in Bayonne.
Signs read, “Save Bayonne, Stop the Mosque,” at the home of Evangelist Pastor Joseph Basile. According to Pastor Basile ,
“Someone came and threatened us if we did not take the signs down,” That culprit was later arrested, but this past Saturday
expletives were spray painted on the pastor’s home.
All this comes as a year old controversy simmers. Bayonne’s Muslim community wants to build a mosque at a shuttered warehouse on East 24th Street at a dead end. The pastor agrees along with many of the neighbors that worry about traffic.
“It should be somewhere else in the center of town , this is a dead end, lots of traffic,” said Surinder Kumar, a resident, but other neighbors don’t seem to mind “If someone wants to build something where people gather, I have no problem with it,” said Sarah Ulm
Pastor Basile admits there is a lot of concern also about what will be taught at the proposed mosque and community center. Paster Basile said he has attended meetings and says he asked pointed questions.”My first question was, do you believe in Sharia Law. His lawyer jumped up and would not answer,” Basile said.
The attack on the Pastors home has gotten the attention of Joseph Rudy Rullo who is running for Governor of New Jersey , Rullo said ,” I condemn the recent attack on a Bayonne religious leaders home who recently questioned whether a proposed mosque would include the teaching of Sharia law. Sharia law clearly violates the US constitution!”
Waheed Akbar of Bayonne Muslims, first denounced the vandalism at the pastor’s home, and says the group has reached out to the community, offering a look at who they are, in the midst of their temporary home being vandalized with hate messages.
CAIR-NJ has asked the Feds to probe “Pro-Trump” hate graffiti targeting Bayonne Mosque.
info from (https://abc7ny.com/religion/home-of-pastor-outspoken-against-proposed-bayonne-mosque-vandalized/1697818/)
